Phone and broadband to summerhouse

[Davisss]

Hi guys,
This isn't really my field but i have a client that wants power run to a summerhouse aswell as provision for a phone line and broadband capability. The cable run from the house is about 70 metres. I was thinking of running a seperate phone line and for broadband i was going to maybe use a homeplug type set-up.
Do you think this is a suitable set-up or is there a better way of doing this?
Many thanks,
Dave

 

[bernardgreen]

Separate the phone and ADSL signals at the BT master socket using a filter front plate. Then run them to the summer house using two separate telephone cables CW1308.

Avoid using CAT5 or 6 cable as the ADSL signal is designed to travel best long CW1308 with its low number of twists per metre. The higher number of twists per metre in CAT5 or 6 will degrade the ADSL signal if used over 70 metres..

 

[sparkymarka]

Phone. Cable and a cat 5/6 for a computer point from the router . Don't think he will want to unplug the router and take it. To the summer house every time !

 

[bernardgreen]

Phone. Cable and a cat 5/6 for a computer point from the router . Don't think he will want to unplug the router and take it. To the summer house every time !

Good point. My error

 

[Davisss]

Thanks for the input guys. Is the homeplug solution not very good then? I was trying to avoid the extra cost of running a third cable from the house. This would be a different and more problematic route to the bt and power cables I am already running in.
Kind Regards,
Dave

 

[bernardgreen]

Home plugs send high frequency signals along the mains cables.

As the cables are not twisted pair a lot of the energy in these signals is radiated out and can and often does interfere with radio equipment. Also incoming radio frequency energy from nearby transmitters and switch mode power supplies can corrupt the HomePlug signals and cause data to have to be repeated. This causes the data rate to reduce.

An old web page but still valid

http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/powerline.html

 

[Astra99]

The previous poster nearly had it right.

Take a phone cable from the phone socket to the summerhouse, and then, at the closest point in the house to the summerhouse, install a network switch.

Cable to this switch using CAT5e or CAT6 cable from the router, and then using external CAT5e/CAT6 cable on to the summerhouse. If more than one network point is required, install another switch in the summerhouse and plug everything in.

A single run of CAT5e/6 can be 305 feet or 89 metres, and where a switch (not a hub) is used, that 305ft starts again. A 10/100 5-port switch is under a tenner so it will not break the bank. I use RJ45 wall-sockets with short patch-cords rather than try to crimp RJ45 plugs onto fixed CAT5e/6 wiring. RJ45 wall-sockets are only a few quid each. For these, e-bay is your friend.

 

[SimonH2]

I would just run 2 or 3 Cat5e or Cat6 cables - you can use one of them for a phone, but you can't use a phone cable for network, and it saves using multiple types of cables (which I assume you'll have to buy in as standard internal cable won't be suitable). If you buy a 100ft/305m box of external grade network cable then it'll do 3 runs.
Put a socket on the end of each run for a tidy job - then just plug in whatever is needed.

However, you need to think about potential (no pun intended) earth potential different problems. What were you planning to do regarding earthing at the summer house ? You might want to pop over to the UK Electrics forum and ask there if you don't have the knowledge/experience to make that decision.
But apart from the power cable, you are introducing at least 2 conductive paths between the main house and summer house.


EDIT: Don't even think about powerline networking. While it mostly works most of the time for many applications - it is pretty well guaranteed to create lots of interference. it is the nature of the devices that they inject lots of radio energy into wiring which is not at all suitable and which actually looks a lot like an antenna.

This website explains it fairly well, and IICR there's a video on there is a demonstration of some units working without being physically connected - ie just using "radio" coupling between cables.
http://www.ban-plt.org.uk/what.php

For fairly obvious reasons, teh RSGB is against them
http://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/special-focus/pla-plt/2011/02/08/rsgb-position-statement/

 

[Lectrician]

I would be running a pair of cat5e cables personally. Either external grade if clipped direct, duct grade if ducted, or SWA if directly buried. It is available per meter, on a drum, via all good wholesalers.

Stick a dual RJ45 either end.